Wheelie's Lament
by Chris McFeely
Summary: Did you ever wonder what Wheelie's life was like on Cybertron before we met him in Transformers: the movie? Well, wonder no longer! This fic reveals his family life, how he was stranded on Quintessa, and how he is irrevocably linked to the entire TF mytho
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER - I don't own Transformers. 'Nuff said on that score. I did create Artemis and Silica, though. And readers be forewarned that this story will get upsetting and disturbing in later chapters.  
  
  
PROLOGUE  
-----------------------  
  
Artemis made the final few circuit connections, and shut the small access panel on the console. He  
converted the small circuit welder back into his right hand, flipped off his head-mounted light and threw the  
last of a series of switches. It had been this switch's failure to function, unlike the other four in the sequence,  
that had resulted in Artemis's need to perform a quick bit of spot welding, fixing up a damaged circuit  
board. This time, however, when he shifted the metal shaft to the 'on' position, the machinery hummed with  
life and the entire bank of controls on the console lit up. With a contented hum, Artemis turned to the large  
robot standing with him.  
"Is everything in readiness?" the large red and blue robot asked Artemis.  
"Yes, Prime," Artemis said, saluting. He wouldn't say that he and this robot of superior rank were friends,  
as such, more casual acquaintances, really. They had known each other for some time, ever since Artemis  
had started working on the giant spacecraft the Autobots were calling 'The Ark', but they had never had  
really sat down and talked about their lives, their loves, and whatnot. But, Artemis supposed, it wouldn't do  
for him to take up the time of the great Optimus Prime. Artemis gestured at the glowing controls. "We're  
on-line and ready. You may join your forces on the Ark when you're ready."  
Optimus Prime returned the salute. "Good work, Artemis," he said.  
"And good luck to you, Prime," Artemis said.  
"Thank you, my friend," Prime replied.  
"Friend?" Artemis asked, surprised, before he even realised what he was saying. Optimus Prime considered  
him a friend? "I... uh... I mean, what I meant to say was, ah..."  
Prime chuckled. "I know what you mean, Artemis." The Autobot commander extended his hand to  
Artemis. "Whatever comes of this mission, I'll always remember you."  
Somewhat dumbly, Artemis took Prime's hand, and shook it, firmly. "Same here," he finally said. "Now,  
go on, you'd better get moving, sir!"  
Prime shook Artemis's hand once more, then released it. "Yes, I had. Goodbye, Artemis. Give my regards  
to Silica." Then, Prime spun on his heel, and walked into the elevator. As the metal doors closed behind him,  
Artemis was again feeling rather shocked. Optimus Prime new the name of his mate, too! Obviously, he had  
though of Artemis as more of a friend that Artemis had thought of him. Shaking his head, Artemis moved  
back to the console, and began tapping buttons. Looking out through the huge window, he saw the gigantic  
golden craft that was the Ark resting on the launch pad. He watched as Optimus exited the control tower,  
and marched towards the behemoth ship. Just as Optimus was almost out of view, Artemis saw another  
robot run up to him. Pink in colour, with... Artemis squinted... yes, she looked to be one of the female  
Autobots. Oh, he knew her... what was her name? Alita? Aelita? Elita? Artemis never could remember which  
way it went. Any way, it was hard not to know of Elita One... yes, Artemis settled on that version, Elita  
One... as she was the leader of the female Autobot warriors. Artemis wondered what she wanted with Prime.  
Maybe there was something between them. It was times like this when Artemis wished he had taken the time  
to get to know Prime a little better after all. After a couple more minutes, Elita One ran from the launch pad,  
as Prime boarded the Ark. Artemis scratched his head, wondering what it was all about. Then, Prime's voice  
crackled through a radio in the tower.  
"Commence countdown," he said.  
"Yes, sir," Artemis responded, striking a series of buttons on the console. With the obligatory ten second  
countdown, the Ark's engines were primed, and it roared free of the launch pad, streaking through the  
Cybertronian air, into the ebony void of space. Artemis watched it go, until it was nothing more than a  
golden speck against overwhelming blackness.  
  
- - -  
  
Just gettin' started! Tell me what ya think! 


	2. Chapter One

DISCLAIMER - I don't own Transformers. Duh. But I did created the characters of Artemis, Silica, Hypderdrive and Powerpack. Also, readers of a sensetive nature should be forewarned that this story WILL become disturbing and most likely upsetting in later chapters.  
  
- - -  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
----------------------  
  
"Wheelie!" Silica called out her son's name. "I've told you about that before!"  
Wheelie looked across the landscape at his mother, frozen in place, with a slingshot held in one hand, the  
elastic stretched out by the other. He was aiming at a row of battered oil cans, resting on a ridge a couple of  
metres away.  
"But mama," the small orange and grey robot said, "I'm just using cans!"  
"But... I..." Silica tried to press the argument. Wheelie looked at her with big, puppy-dog optics, chewing  
slightly on his lower lip component. "Oh, all right," Silica relented. "Just be careful!"  
"I will, mama," Wheelie replied, and released the elastic, letting fly the fire stone he had loaded his  
slingshot with. The small capsule burst into flame suddenly, and struck the can, knocking it off the ridge in a  
little flash of light. Silica smiled at him, though he didn't notice - too busy with his marksmanship. The  
female Autobot turned and walked back through the doorway into the family's domicile.  
Rapping her knuckles on the door frame, Silica entered Artemis's study. Artemis looked up from his desk  
at her. She was shorter than he was, her armour a pale orange in colour, in rather sharp contrast to his own  
vibrant blue armour. Her Autobot insignia stood out clearly on her stomach. She rested a hand on his  
shoulder. "It's not your fault," she said.  
"Everyone always says that," Artemis said, duly toying with his moustache. It was something of a new look  
for him - he hadn't had it back when he'd known Optimus Prime, before the launch of the Ark, and, indeed,  
not for several years after that. It was when Optimus and his crew failed to return that he had forsaken a lot  
of luxuries in his pursuit of locating them. Oh, he always had the time for his family, of course - Primus  
forbid the day he'd ever overlook them - but not much else. He'd grown the moustache after endless cycles  
worth of planning, scanning and calculating. He shuffled a few papers around on his desk. Silica bent over  
his shoulder and looked down at them.  
"Are these your spacecraft designs?" she asked.  
"They're as near as I'm going to get to the final cut, yes," Artemis replied. "I've already got construction  
started."  
Silica was silent for a few kliks. "So... you're really going to do it?" she asked, standing up. "You're really  
going to go looking for them?"  
Artemis didn't reply. Words were unnecessary. He knew. She knew. He knew that she knew. That was all  
there was to it.  
"What about... us?" Silica asked, softly.  
Artemis spun his swivel-chair around. "Come with me," he said, instantly.  
Silica emitted a startled gasp. "Oh! But... but...!"  
"Please, Silica," Artemis pleaded, taking her hand in his.  
"But... what about Wheelie?" she asked again, turning her head, looking back, out through the door frame,  
through the window on the other side of the domicile, as the little robot knocked down another can.  
"He can come too," Artemis said. "It'll be good for him. He doesn't have any friends here..."  
Silica grimaced.  
"I'm sorry, my love," Artemis said, holding up his hands, "but it is the truth."  
"But his upgrade..." she said. Wheelie was coming of the age where his superstructure required upgrading,  
to move him into the next phase of his life. It was a common practice for all 'bots, but if they went  
off-planet...  
"I can do that," Artemis said. "I do know some things, you know." He grinned.  
Silica couldn't help but grin back. "Oh, all right, all right," she said, at last, almost laughing. "We'll go."  
Artemis jumped up from his chair. "Wonderful!" he cried. "I'll start working on some additional amenities  
for the ship right now!" Spinning his chair, he went back to work, seizing the papers and a writing  
implement, and sketching like crazy.  
Silica silently went to the doorway, pausing to look back at her husband. She smiled, and shook her head at  
his mild eccentricity, allowing a chuckle so soft to escape her lips that only she was able to perceive it. She  
moved off, back into the main habitation area, and opening the window again. She leant out. "Wheelie!"  
"Aw, mama!" Wheelie called back. "I'm being careful!"  
"I know you are, sweetie," Silica replied. "But come back in for a little while... I need to tell you  
something..."  
  
- - -  
  
It was about two months later, when Artemis's craft was almost ready. Wheelie was understandably quite  
excited. His mother and father had told him about Optimus Prime and the Ark over and over, at his own  
request, but he still couldn't hear enough about the revered Autobot commander.  
One day, his mother took him aside, and spoke to him.  
"Wheelie," she had said, "today, you're going to learn how to do something really important."  
"What, mama?" Wheelie asked, bouncing with excess energy.  
"You're going to learn how to transform," she replied. It was normal that a 'bot of Wheelie's age would  
learn to transform before undergoing an upgrade to their next stage of life, and Silica didn't deny the fact  
that she had waited rather long to teach Wheelie.  
Wheelie gasped. "Really, mama?" he asked. "Really?"  
She nodded.  
"Yaaaay!" Wheelie cheered. "I'll be just like all the other kids!"  
Silica winced as he said that. He didn't notice. At least, she didn't think he did. "Now, Wheelie, watch me,  
and do what I do." She stood up, and took a slow breath. Carefully, steadily, so Wheelie could see clearly  
what she was doing, Silica transformed into her hover car mode. Floating gently in the air, she said: "Now  
you try it."  
Wheelie grunted and his face was noticeably strained as he tried to access his transformation programme.  
"Don't force it to happen," Silica advised. "Just allow it to."  
A little bead of coolant trickled down Wheelie's face. "It... it sorta hurts, mama...!" he said through  
clenched teeth. Then, quite suddenly, his head turned inside out and shot inside his body, followed by his  
arms and legs, as the grating sound of his gears and limbs rubbing against each other filled the air. With a  
bump, he hit the ground, in his vehicle mode. "I... I did it!" Wheelie squeaked. Carefully, he began to drive  
forward, moving around in a circle. As he got dizzy from circling, he began giggling, and Silica, still in her  
hover car mode, drove up alongside him.  
"Want to go for a spin?" she asked.  
"Yeah!" Wheelie said, breaking off his circular motion and driving off with his mother at his side. They  
raced across the landscape, weaving in and out of the natural metal formations on Cybertron's surface,  
playing tag, laughing all the while.  
With a squeal of tyres, Wheelie hid behind a large metal protrusion, as his mother raced past, searching for  
him, in a game of hide and seek. Wheelie giggled to himself again as she went past, when, suddenly, a few  
seconds later, something gently bumped his rear fender. Whipping about, he saw Silica there, laughing.  
"Found you!" she said. Wheelie broke into a fit of hysterics, for no real reason other than that it felt good.  
A little later, they went back home, and Silica transformed to robot mode. Wheelie's little buggy mode  
quivered slightly as he tried the transformation again. "Just keep calm, and let it happen," Silica said. Her  
words rang true, as Wheelie almost instantly shifted back to his stocky little robot mode. "Quite a day, huh?"  
Silica said.  
Wheelie ran up to her, and hugged her around the waist, resting her head on her stomach, staring into the  
eyes of the Autobot symbol there. "You're the best mama ever," he said.  
With a tear of oil in her eye, Silica picked Wheelie up in her arms, and hugged him tighter. He was still  
clinging on to her as they both walked inside.  
  
- - -  
  
A week later, the craft was ready. Wheelie, having still not perfected the art of transformation, had packed  
up his possessions and was ready for lift off long before the shuttle itself. Despite Silica's protestations, he  
had insisted on bringing his slingshot and an overly large supply of fire stones - Silica didn't know quite  
where he got them from, but she would swear he made them himself. On the day of the launch, Artemis met  
his wife and son at the launch pad of his ship, the Indomitable.  
"Hi daddy!" Wheelie squealed happily, running up to his dad, to be grabbed by his father's strong arms and  
lifted high into the air and swung around.  
"Hi, son," Artemis said, hugging Wheelie. He hadn't seen him for a day or two, and he prided himself on  
being a family man, so he felt a need both to himself and to Wheelie and Silica to make up for his absence.  
"Are we ready to go, daddy?" Wheelie asked, squirming in his father's arms. "Are we? Are we?"  
Artemis couldn't help but laugh. "We certainly are." He carefully set the beaming Wheelie down again, and  
turned to look at the ship. Small, compared the Ark, but then, most everything was. Two Autobots were  
scurrying around at its base, tapping panels and adjusting circuits. Artemis beckoned for Silica and Wheelie  
to follow him over to them. He tapped one robot, with red and silver armour, on the shoulder, causing him  
to jump about a foot into the air in surprise. Jerking around, he recognised Artemis, and was about to offer  
greetings, when he realised he'd made himself dizzy from spinning around like that, and he really needed to  
sit down. Of course, the fact that there weren't any seats nearby didn't matter to him, as he unceremoniously  
flopped down onto the ground with a clatter of parts.  
Wheelie peered at the sitting robot, scrutinising him, as Artemis helped him up. "Silica, Wheelie, this is  
Hyperdrive. He'll be our engineer."  
"A pleasure, I'm sure," Silica said, with a hint of disbelief in her voice that neither Artemis nor Hyperdrive  
chose to pick up on, if they even detected it.  
Wheelie, who came up to Hyperdrive's thigh, peered up at his face. Blue optic circuits darted this way and  
that, as his faceplate, akin to that of Optimus Prime's, Wheelie reckoned, jiggled up and down  
uncontrollably. "You're funny," Wheelie said, at last, with a big smile.  
"You think so?" Hyperdrive said, quickly, the words spilling out of his mouth. "I never really thought of  
myself as funny, you know, but my friends always tell me that I'm funny but I don't see what they're talking  
about, I mean, what did I really do there that was funny, I just sat down, sure I got dizzy, but that happens  
to everyone at some time or another, so I mean what's so funny about it, huh?"  
Silica arched an optic ridge. The other robot who had been working on the ship, a large, burly green figure,   
came over, and planted his hand on Hyperdrive's shoulder, causing him to scream, before looking around  
and seeing who it was.  
"Calm down, Hype," the green robot said. He reached his arm past Hyperdrive, and shook Silica's hand.  
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. I feel I know you already, the boss never stops talkin' about you." He jerked his  
head to indicate Artemis. "I'm Powerpack."  
Silica smiled back. This one seemed normal. Powerpack turned his attention to the small orange robot who  
stood by Silica, kneeling down to meet his eye level. "So, you must be Wheelie, huh?" he asked.  
"Yeah!" Wheelie replied.  
"Well, put 'er there, Wheelie," Powerpack said, offering Wheelie his hand to shake. Wheelie admittedly had  
a little difficulty performing the shake, as Powerpack's hand was the size of Wheelie's head, but he  
accomplished it reasonably well.  
"We're all set and ready to go-go-go, Artemis, sir, boss, chief!" Hyperdrive proclaimed, saluting clumsily  
and nearly poking his optic out. Artemis waved his hand to indicate that Hyperdrive's salute was  
unnecessary. He wanted his crew members to have the sort of relationship with him that he had wished he  
had with Optimus Prime. "Ready any time you are!" Hyperdrive said, rubbing his optic.  
"You two, go and start routine launch procedures," Artemis instructed. With a nod, Powerpack led the  
half-blinded Hyperdrive away, into the elevator mounted in the gantry. Artemis watched them go, and stared  
up at the Indomitable silently. The data on the probable course heading of the Ark had been entered into its  
computer already, which was plotting out numerous possible locations for the majestic ship's resting place.  
He felt Silica touch his arm.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Nothing," Artemis replied, absently. "Just thinking."  
"Come on, come on!" they heard Wheelie say, and turned to see him jumping up and down in place. "Let's  
go, daddy!"  
Artemis and Silica looked at each other for a moment, then Artemis bent down in front of Wheelie, and  
held him by the shoulders. "Now, Wheelie," he started, "this trip is going to be a long one, you understand?  
It might even be dangerous. Are you sure you want to come?"  
"Yeah, yeah!" Wheelie squeaked. "It's gonna be great! You can find Optimus, daddy, I know you can!"  
Artemis smiled, and hugged Wheelie. "Nice to know you have a little faith in your old man, son," he said,  
softly. Then, he stood up, carrying Wheelie in one arm. "Well, let's go, then!"  
Silica kissed her husband on the cheek, as he put his arm around her waist. Together, the family walked to  
the gantry, stepped into the elevator, and moved ever closer to their destiny.  
  
- - -  
  
Pretty please write a review? Pretty Pretty Please? :) 


	3. Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER - I don't own Transformers, you know that. I did create Artemis, Silica, Hyperdrive and Powerpack, mind you. Be forewarned that if you are of a sensetive nature you may not appreciate some of the later chapters in this story, which I intend to be upsetting.  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
------------------------  
  
"Charge thrusters," Artemis commanded.  
"Charging thrusters," Hyperdrive replied.  
"Release umbilicals," Artemis said.  
"Releasing umbilicals," Powerpack obeyed.  
Everyone had taken their place on the Indomitable's bridge, with Artemis in the captain's seat. Silica sat  
off to the side with Wheelie, both strapped into their seats, as Powerpack and Hyperdrive worked the  
consoles.  
"Blast off in 10...9..." Artemis began the countdown. The numbers rolled off his tongue automatically, with  
no thought on his part, as his mind raced. This was it. There was no turning back now. "..2...1... Ignition!"  
Hyperdrive and Powerpack hit a single button on each of their consoles simultaneously, and the ship  
shuddered into life, as powerful jets screamed with new-born fury, belching liquid fire, wrenching the  
Indomitable free of the launch pad, and hurling it into the void.  
Silica felt Wheelie squeeze her hand tightly, nearly cutting off the Energon flow to her digits, as the ship  
shook around them. "It's okay, honey," she said, placing her other hand on top of his. Wheelie just kept  
squeezing.  
Artemis gripped the arm-rests of his chair tightly as the craft thundered into the sky. He was afraid - though  
he would not have admitted it to anyone, save Silica. Then again, in such a situation, he was sure that she  
would already know.  
The G-Forces slammed down on Wheelie like a ton of bricks, crushing him back into his seat. He figured  
that it must be happening to everyone else, too, but he couldn't turn his head to look. He would have cried  
out, but he couldn't move his mouth. His thoughts were of his parents, and how brave they must be to do  
something like this. The pressure grew, until Wheelie thought for sure that he would be pulped beneath such  
force, when suddenly, it was gone. He lurched forward in his seat and gagged as his Energon pump  
contracted rapidly, as tiny tears of lubricant ran down his pained face. Immediately, Silica unbuckled her belt  
and jumped from her seat, kneeling by Wheelie, as he clutched his stomach and wheezed softly, feeling his  
Energon pump beat furiously inside his chest.  
As Powerpack and Hyperdrive high-fived each other, Artemis turned to look at his wife and child. As soon  
as he looked around, he knew that something was wrong. He almost literally flew from his seat to his  
family's side, resting a hand on Wheelie's shoulder, and helping him to regulate the function of his Energon  
pump. "Easy, son, easy..." he said, softly. "There you are. Easy, now."  
Wheelie looked up at his father with blearly eyes. Artemis flicked away the tears that stained his son's  
cheeks with his fingers, and smiled. Wheelie smiled back. Silica stood up and looked down at Artemis,  
motioning for him to follow her.  
"Be right back, son," Artemis said, and went after his wife, who was now standing on the other side of the  
bridge. "What?" he asked her.  
"Don't you 'what' me, Artemis," Silica said. "Look at him. We're not even on our way and he's suffering  
already." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the deck. "I don't want it to happen to  
him, the way it did to me."  
Artemis's optics dulled as realisation crept over him. Before he had met her, Silica had been a powerful  
member of the Female Autobot army. In fact, when she and two other Female Autobots had been assigned  
to guard him and the other members of his scientific team during the early days of the Ark's construction,  
for fear of Decepticon espionage or assault, there was immediately electricity between them both. It was  
later that Optimus Prime's fears were proved founded, when a small Decepticon raiding party attacked the  
scientific compound. Originally, Artemis had doubted the ability of only three Female Autobots to protect  
them - but his fears were soon to be discounted, as Silica and the other femme bots gutted all six of the  
Decepticons entirely, completely destroying their exostructures. It had been a chilling sight for Artemis to  
behold. Then, mere seconds later, when the females were taking stock, Artemis noticed movement in the  
shadows. With a cry, he threw himself at Silica, knocking her aside, as the Decepticon spy, Ravage lunged  
out of the shadows at her. Hitting the ground gracefully, Ravage had turned and hissed, and immediately  
shot off one of his hip-mounted missiles, filling the room with smoke. Artemis shielded Silica with his body,  
but he saw Ravage poking around the dead husks of the bodies. With each body he moved on to, he tore the  
Decepticon's still-intact personality component out of it's moorings, and shunted it into subspace. When all  
six were in his possession, the feline robot had disappeared into the darkness. Artemis could only guess why  
the Decepticon had taken the components, but he supposed that Megatron, the Decepticon commander,  
needed all the soldiers he could get.  
Their relationship had done nothing but grow from that day on. And when Silica and Artemis were finally  
joined, she left the Female Autobot army to raise her child, not wanting him exposed to the violence and  
suffering that had shaped her into the 'bot she was today. She wanted Wheelie to be different.  
"I'm sorry," said Artemis, embracing his wife. She rested her head on his shoulder, as he gently cradled  
her. "It'll be okay, you'll see."  
"I hope so," Silica said, her voice cracked. "I hope so..."  
  
- - -  
  
Hyperdrive tapped the technical read-out screen on his console. "Looks like our first port of call's been  
figured out and organised and all set up for us to drop in on it, yup, yessir, indeed!" he reported.  
"Excellent," Artemis said. A few hours had passed since his exchange with Silica, and he hoped his wife  
was feeling better now. He had returned to the command chair to supervise the first landing and exploration.  
"Where are we headed?"  
"Doesn't seem to have name," Powerpack informed him. "I can't find a single slaggin' scrap of information  
on this planet."  
Artemis cupped his chin. "How long until we can achieve visual?"  
"Just a few cycles, boss," Powerpack said, tapping a few keys, trying to dredge up information about the  
mystery world.  
The bridge was silent for those few cycles, until Hyperdrive swivelled in his chair. "We're in visual range  
now, sir, yep, we can get a good ol' look at this weird place, if you'd like, boss, cause I can out it up on  
screen if you just give the word, you know that I'll do it right away without question, chief, you know me!"  
Artemis suppressed a sigh. "On-screen."  
The large computer screen mounted into the northernmost wall of the bridge blinked, and a flicker of static  
came up, which quickly faded, to be replaced by an image of the planet they were headed for. It was a sickly  
yellow colour when viewed from this distance, surrounded by huge rings - though not rings of gas and rock  
particles, like so many other worlds, but rings of solid metal, literally moored to the planet's surface by  
gargantuan metal pylons. The very appearance of the world was malicious, a miasma of evil emanating from  
it.  
"Nice place," Powerpack commented.  
"Move in," Artemis said.  
A small noise caught Artemis's attention, and he looked around behind his chair, to see Silica, with a surly  
look on her face. Artemis responded with a pleading look, and his wife rolled her eyes and nodded.  
Powerpack had also heard the noise, and had yet to move the ship in, knowing well, from Artemis's stories,  
how Silica could get. He looked at Artemis, who verified the command. Powerpack tapped a selection of  
keys, and the whole group felt that sip shift around them, banking to head inwards towards the enigmatic  
planet.  
"Life signs?" Artemis asked.  
Hyperdrive's arms became a blur as he frantically hit buttons. "Life signs, life signs, we got life signs all  
over the planet, loads of 'em, lots of Energon signatures, and plenty of ones I don't recognise, sir, boss,  
chief!"  
Artemis felt his Energon pump skip a compression. Energon signatures all across the planet? Could it be  
they'd found Optimus and his crew already? "Initiate landing procedure," he ordered.  
Silica was silent, but in her head, one thought was predominate. It can't be this easy. She turned to look at  
Wheelie, who was bouncing up and down in his seat. He looked up at her.  
"Are we going down to the planet, mama, are we?" he asked. "Are we gonna find Optimus?"  
"Let's hope so, baby," Silica said, then in her mind, added, Because then this'll all be over.  
The bridge went quiet, save for the clicking of buttons and the hum of electronic as the ship augured in  
towards the world. Powerpack glanced at the readouts and grimaced.  
"Artemis," he said, warily, "I'm picking up a power spike on the planet's surface..." Everyone turned their  
attention to the viewscreen.  
Artemis never got to reply.  
  
- - -  
  
Down on the surface of the planet, something stirred, reacting to the presence of the Indomitable out in  
space. A huge metallic hatchway, built into the ground, sighed open, and two glowing red lights could be  
seen within the darkness of the pit that was revealed. With the speed of thought, a gargantuan metallic cable  
lanced out of the pit, streaking into the ebony sky, heading straight for the ship. The massive coil ended in a  
ferocious pincer-claw, with two red sensors set at either side of it, as it snapped evilly.  
Artemis never got to reply.  
The pincer-cable ripped through the Indomitable's hull, rending the ship's integrity asunder. Of course,  
there was no roar of vacuum as the atmosphere inside the ship was sucked out into the nothingness of space,  
simply because there was no atmosphere inside the ship - Cybertronians didn't respire like carbon-based life,  
so there was no need for anything like that in the Indomitable. What did happen, however, was that the claw  
began to tear the bridge to pieces, destroying the command consoles and numerous other systems before  
retracting back down to the planet's surface.  
"Damage report!" Artemis yelled, as he staggered out of his chair, and went to his family's side.  
"You need a report?!" Powerpack screamed back, and then found himself thrown across the bridge as his  
console exploded. He groaned and shook his head, which was dented from the impact with the bulkhead.  
"We're slagged!" Another explosion threw Powerpack aside, and his optics went dark.  
"Oh Primus, oh Primus, oh Primus, we're all gonna die, die, die, die, dieeeee!" Hyperdrive screeched, as he  
flung himself to the ground seconds before the computer display built into the wall on his right exploded in a  
hail of glass.  
Silica grabbed the crying Wheelie in her arms and held him close to her, shutting her eyes tightly, as the  
ship crumbled around them. Tears ran down Artemis's own face as he saw what his ambitions had done to  
him and his family. The last thing he glimpsed before a chunk of debris smashed him in the back of the  
cranial unit, knocking him off-line temporarily, was one of the giant metal rings of the planet, as the ship  
smashed into it full force and was torn to pieces, which in turn fell like fiery, burning rain to the planet's  
surface.  
  
- - -  
  
PLEASE R&R!! 


	4. Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER - You know I don't own Transformers, but I gotta tell ya anyway. Damn legal system. I did create Artemis, Silica, Hyperdrive and Powerpack, though. This chapter, and later chapters, contain some scenes which the sensetive may not appreciate.  
  
- - -  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
---------------------------  
  
The pain told Artemis he was still functional.  
As his optic circuits booted up, flickering weakly, he lifted his head to look around him, and instantly cried  
out as pain shot through his neck. He reached around and fingered the huge dent in the back of his head,  
which was cracked at the centre, and had oil leaking out. He moaned softly, and carefully got to his feet.  
He could only stand open-mouthed at what he saw. Flaming wreckage from the Indomitable was strewn as  
far as the optic could see, imbedded in the apparently techno-organic substance that comprised the  
landscape. Some chunks of the ship were slowly sinking into pools of viscous reddish-golden ooze that  
decorated the surface of the planet.  
"Silica!" Artemis called out. "Wheelie!"  
There was no reply. Immediately, Artemis transformed to his vehicle mode and shot off across the terrain,  
screaming out his wife and son's names. After a few cycles of searching, he came across the largest hunk of  
the ship. The bridge was still intact for the most part, despite the damage done to it by the claw-beast.  
Artemis screeched to a stop and transformed to robot mode, somersaulting through the air to land amidst  
the burning scrap that had been his ship.  
"Silica!" he bellowed again, but this time, he was greeted with a moan in response. Realising it was coming  
from beneath a pile of rubble that had once been a bulkhead, he charged over and grabbed hold of the metal  
chunks, tossing them away as best he could. But physical strength was not Artemis's greatest skill, and he  
was barely able to move a few chunks - and even then, those chunks were only comparatively small in size -  
before he found himself tiring. He collapsed to his knees, and pounded his fists on the pile weakly, as he felt  
despair growing inside him.  
Artemis yelped in surprise as a pair of strong, green hands appeared beside him, gripped one of the largest  
pieces of bulkhead, and threw it away as if it weighed no more than a feather. Artemis looked up to see  
Powerpack standing there, much the worse for wear. Half his face had been seared off in the crash, exposing  
his wiring and circuits, and dents peppered his body, one particularly noticeable injury adorning his right  
thigh, and, Artemis noted, that as he threw the lump of metal away, his leg jerked and he winced.  
"Not... dead... yet..." Powerpack said, forming a grin as best as he could with only half a mouth. He  
continued to haul the rubble clear, with Artemis helping to some extent, until, suddenly, a huge orange blade  
smashed through the remaining layer of debris. Silica clambered out of the pile, cradling Wheelie in one arm,  
having used the convertible hand-blade on her free arm to smash her way lose. With a flick of her wrist, she  
transformed her hand back, and staggered free of the rubble.  
Artemis couldn't find words, and embraced his wife, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and holding  
Wheelie in between them. Powerpack stepped back.  
"Mama... Daddy..." Wheelie's high-pitched voice was heard, "you're squashin' me!"  
Immediately, the two parents broke their embrace, and Wheelie dropped to the ground. The little robot  
gasped when he saw the damaged Powerpack.  
"S'okay, kiddo," Powerpack replied, in little more than a garbled slur. "Had worse in my time..." Then,  
fear gripped him. "Hyperdrive!" he cried, realising his friend was not present. "Where is he?"  
Everyone began to look around. "I... don't see him..." Silica said.  
"HYPE!" Powerpack screamed. "Talk to me! Where are you!" His cries echoed into the air, as he began  
scrabbling through wreckage, looking for his friend. The others followed suit, clawing at the piles of metal.  
A cry from Wheelie caught everyone's attention.  
"I foun' him!" Wheelie squeaked, thrusting his hand through the air and pointing repeatedly at  
Hyperdrive's arm, which was jutting out from beneath the mangled remains of a console. Powerpack  
thundered over.  
"Hype!" he cried. "Aw, man, Hype! Say somethin', buddy, please!" He kicked a few chunks of console  
away, and grabbed Hyperdrive's arm, tugging on it, trying to drag out his friend. Suddenly, he lost his  
balance, as the arm came away from under the wreckage, and he fell on his waste disposal. Hyperdrive's  
severed arm - for that was all that there had been underneath the debris - landed on his chest, and jerked and  
sparked once, before slumping over. "Hype..." Powerpack breathed, fighting back oil tears as they welled up  
in his optics.  
A scream shattered the silence, as Silica staggered back from where she had been searching. Hyperdrive's  
decapitated head stared up at her with empty optics. Artemis took her in his arms, and shielded Wheelie's  
eyes as Powerpack slowly, perhaps almost denying that it could be true, walked over to the dead sphere of  
metal that had once been his friend. He picked it up in his hands, and clutched it to his chest, weeping  
silently.  
  
- - -  
  
Artemis was forced to conclude that there was no way in the Pit they were going to be able to salvage the  
Indomitable. So, the small group set out across the terrain, looking for someone - anyone - who could give  
them some help. There had, after all, been numerous Energon signatures, all over the world. Everyone was  
in their vehicle modes - Silica in her hover car form, Artemis in his streamlined shuttle-car mode, Wheelie in  
his neophyte buggy shape, and Powerpack in jet mode - and no-one felt much like talking. The silence was  
broken by Artemis.  
"I've got a reading!" he exclaimed. "Lots of them, actually!"  
Wheelie would have jumped into the air, had it been possible in his current mode. "Yay!" he cried. "Where,  
daddy, where?"  
Artemis came to a halt, and transformed. He paused for a second, then pointed off in the direction the  
signals were coming from. "This way!" he said. "Come on!"  
Silica and Wheelie transformed and jogged along with Artemis, while Powerpack was content to remain in  
jet mode and keep an eye on things from above. "Hey!" he yelled down to them, "all I can see from up here  
is a lake!"  
"Well, my scanner says it's this way..." Artemis insisted, not letting up his pace. Before long, they had  
arrived, as Powerpack said, at a lake.  
"Slag," Silica mumbled.  
Artemis turned away from the lake and bashed the scanning relay in his wrist with the flat of his other palm.  
"Slagging thing... what's wrong with you?" he muttered to it.  
"Daddy!" Wheelie exclaimed, tugging on his father's leg. "Look!"  
Artemis turned his head, and allowed his jaw to drop in shock as he saw the red-gold liquid of the lake  
surge and heave, as a bizarre entourage of mechanical creatures broke the surface and stepped on to the  
shore, moving towards them. They were stunted in height, with olive-green, grey and purple armour and  
sharp protrusions on their shoulders and heads. Their giant, beak-like mouths snapped as they advanced on  
the family.  
"What... are those things?" Silica asked, taking a step back and almost tripping over Wheelie, who was  
hiding behind her leg.  
"I don't know..." Artemis said, softly. "Let's try to reason with them." He held a hand up in the air, and the  
weird creatures stopped moving. "I am Artemis, of Cybertron," he said. "These are my family - Silica, my  
mate, and Wheelie, our son." He pointed to Powerpack, still floating in the air. "That is Powerpack, our  
friend. Our ship crashed here a little while ago - we're looking for some one to help us."  
The creatures turned and grunted to one another, in an incomprehensible dialect. Artemis let his hand drop  
to his side, taking it as a good sign that the creatures weren't dismembering them. The lead creature looked  
back to Artemis, then up to Powerpack. He studied Wheelie, then Silica, allowing his optics to rest on her  
longer than the others. He licked his lip components. Silica shivered and stood closer to Artemis.  
The head creature barked something to the others, and they immediately ran around behind the small  
group. Then, he focused his attention on Artemis, garbling something that the robot didn't understand. From  
his hand motions, however, Artemis fathomed that the creature wanted them to follow him.  
"We're getting somewhere," he whispered to Silica, as they started walking, led by the creature.  
"Yeah," Silica replied. "Let's just hope it's not into deep slag."  
Powerpack swooped down, and hovered by Artemis. "I'll just stay up here, boss," he said, before Artemis  
even got the chance to ask him to transform. "I'm functioning better in the air than I could on land right  
now."  
"Whatever you want," Artemis said. He reached forward and tapped the head being on the shoulder. "Do  
you think it would be possible to see about getting some repairs done on our friend?" The creature nodded,  
and Artemis grinned. "Wonderful."  
It was a pity, really, that Artemis didn't know that the creature hadn't understood one word he had said. It  
had just nodded dumbly, lulling the Autobots into a false sense of security. For, actually, out of everything  
Artemis had said to it, the creature and it's fellows had understood one solitary word.  
Cybertron.  
The masters would be pleased.  
  
- - -  
  
C'mon, R&R already!! :) 


	5. Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER - I don't own Transformers, and I'm getting sick of having to type that fact out. I'm equally sick of saying that I created Artemis, Silica and Powerpack. This chapter is a precursor to the seriously traumatic and upsetting scenes.  
  
- - -  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
--------------------------  
  
Wheelie stared up at the huge citadel before them in awe. It was massive in any sense, but to a 'bot of  
Wheelie's diminutive stature, it seemed even more gargantuan. Intimidated, he gave Silica's hand a little  
squeeze. Immediately, Silica's eyes darted around to look down at her son, to check if he was all right.  
Wheelie looked up and smiled back at her. She offered a similar smile in response, but she didn't feel that  
happy on the inside.  
"We'll be able to get some help here?" Artemis asked the creature who had led them here. It was in the  
process of conversing with two guards who were standing on either side of the citadel's entrance. The  
guards were large, purple and green robots carrying spear-like weapons, and they looked at Artemis oddly  
as he spoke. The creature just nodded again, and turned back to the guards. After a few more seconds of  
indecipherable grunting noises that served to represent conversation, the guards burst into laughter.  
"I don't like this..." Silica whispered to Artemis.  
"Oh, come now, dear," Artemis replied, "you have to stop worrying so much."  
"That's like asking you to stop being so slagging optimistic..." Silica retorted, and Artemis was about to  
say something else when one of the guards tapped him on the thigh with their spear. Artemis turned around,  
and the guard pointed at the citadel's entrance, waving his spear toward it, indicating that they should walk  
on through.  
There was a snap, a groan, and a crack as Powerpack transformed and landed unsteadily on the ground, as  
he couldn't fit through the entrance in jet mode. Artemis supported him on his shoulder. "Nearly there, old  
boy, nearly there," Artemis consoled him, helping him through the entrance way. Wheelie continued to  
clutch his mother's hand, as the guard who had drawn Artemis's attention guided them through the huge  
dark tunnel.  
The small group emerged into a massive amphitheatre, with a huge pit built into the middle of it, with a  
gangplank protruding from the opposite side, out across it. Wheelie carefully peered over the pit's edge, and  
could see it was filled with a translucent amber liquid. He thought there might have been things swimming in  
it, but he wasn't sure. As he looked back up from the pit, a glow of purple energy caught his eye, and  
squeaked in shock at what he saw next.  
On the other side of the pit, there sat a throne. And on the throne was quite possibly the most hideous  
creature Wheelie had ever seen. It was nothing more than a metal oval, floating atop a beam of energy -  
from which came the glow that Wheelie had seen - but, mounted upon the oval, were five faces, each more  
grotesque than the last. Four green tentacles hung beneath the creature as it studied Wheelie with it's current  
face - a moustachioed visage, with narrow eyes and an orange star-shape adorning its forehead. As Wheelie  
stared back, the face shifted, and ratcheted around four places, to be replaced with a tan-helmeted face,  
bearing an evil grin. Standing nearby this multi-faceted monstrosity, at the bottom of a flight of steps that  
began at the throne's base, was another creature, who also floated on an energy beam. Six tentacles whipped  
about in the air around it, three on each side, where its arms should have been, as it turned its elongated  
head to study Wheelie along with the other creature. A grin crept across his scaly face.  
"What are you looking at, Whee- oh!" Silica gasped as she saw the two beings observing them from the  
other side of the pit. Artemis and Powerpack looked up as Silica gasped, and also saw the creatures. The  
guard scuttled forward and spoke to the six-tentacled creature. It grunted and growled as it explained, but  
each and every being in the amphitheatre heard it when the guard said "Cybertron." The tentacled creatures  
started in surprise.  
"What's the big deal... uh... about Cybertron?" Powerpack wanted to know. Artemis didn't know the  
answer.  
The five-faced creature turned to the assemblage of Autobots, and it's head spun around three places,  
looking down on them with a fat face, surrounded by a greenish set of helmet-armour. "Cybertron," it  
echoed the guard.  
Artemis wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, so he just nodded.  
Wheelie need some names for these creatures, and he used the most obvious ones he could think up, as  
Five-Face turned to Six-Arms and nodded silently. The quiet atmosphere of the amphitheatre was shattered  
as Six-Arms screamed.  
"GUARDS!" he bellowed. "Take them!"  
Suddenly, dozens more beings, some resembling the creatures that had led the group here, other looking  
more like the guards from outside the citadel, and others still not looking like anything they had seen before,  
began pouring out of every tunnel and entranceway, converging on the four Autobots. They ripped Silica  
and Wheelie away from each other, and two hoisted Wheelie above their heads, laughing and jeering.  
"Mamaaaa!" Wheelie shrieked, terror consuming him.  
"Wheelie!" Silica screamed in response. "Put him down!" There was no compliance from any of the  
creatures. Silica clenched her jaw and converted an arm to blade mode, then pulled her disruptor pistol from  
subspace. "I said..." she began, lunging at the creature, "...PUT HIM DOWN!" Her blade ripped through the  
air, and impacted with one of the guards' faces, skewering it through the head. It screamed as Silica tore the  
blade free again, releasing its hold on Wheelie. It's fellow also let go of Wheelie, who fell into Silica's arms.  
Silica set him down, keeping him close, as more of the guards advances. She fired off a few shots from her  
disruptor, incapacitating two of the creatures, but she was soon torn down by number, as a dozen guards  
piled on top of her.  
"Silica!" Artemis cried, as he saw his wife buried. He kicked out, knocking away two of the attackers,  
desperate to rush to her aid, but with Powerpack slung over him...  
"Go, boss," Powerpack said. "I... don't wanna... think ya saved me, over her... wouldn't want that...  
hangin' over me... assumin' I survive this."  
"Don't talk that way," Artemis said.  
"Go!" Powerpack ordered. Artemis could only nod and release his hold on the burly green Autobot,  
rushing to his wife's aid. Before he got there, he was clotheslined by two of the guards, and knocked to the  
ground, where he too was piled on top of.  
"Daddy!" Wheelie exclaimed, though he was powerless to do anything. Within a few kliks, the guards  
began to pile off the bodies of Artemis and Silica, both beaten into unconsciousness. One grabbed Wheelie  
by the arm, lifting him into the air, as two more tried to hold down Powerpack. Although weakened, he was  
still putting up quite a fight.  
One creature grunted something to Six-Arms, who replied, "He is almost gone already. He will provide no  
sport. Dispatch him now, so we may prepare the trial."  
Three more guards helped the other two lift Powerpack into the air, and they all marched over to the edge  
of the pit. "Put me down, ya slagging sons of petrorabbits!" Powerpack roared impotently.  
"If you insist," Six-Arms replied. The five guards shifted their weight, and Powerpack found himself hurled  
into the air. Then, he was falling.  
Down.  
Down.  
Wheelie couldn't see what happened next, only hear it. He heard the splash as Powerpack hit the liquid in  
the pool. He heard the spluttering as he tried to stay afloat with his wounded limbs. Then, he heard more  
splashing, as if many other things were in the water. Then, he heard the scream. A gut-wrenching,  
soul-destroying scream that echoed up from the bottom of the pit, reverberating off its sides and ringing in  
the air of the amphitheatre. There was a gurgling, and the sound of ravenous tearing.  
And then...  
...there was silence.  
  
- - -  
  
"Ohhh..." Artemis moaned, as his optics flickered on. He tried to move, and found he ached all over. "This  
is getting to be a habit..." He lifted his head to look around. He was in some form of cell, apparently, littered  
with the rusted husks of previous inhabitants, with a smell of filth hanging in the air. On the far side, sitting  
against the wall, was Silica, curled into the fetal position, with Wheelie by her side, fast asleep, his arms  
wrapped around her, clinging on as if his life depended on it. As Artemis shifted where he was sitting, Silica  
looked up.  
"Good morning," she said, in a dry, unemotional tone.  
"Where... are we?" Artemis asked, crawling over to her side.  
"See for yourself," Silica extended an arm and pointed back to the other side of the cell, where a barred  
window allowed a little light to enter the room. Artemis stood up and limped over to it, peering out. The  
window provided a perfect view of the amphitheatre they had seen previously. As he watched, Five-Face  
and Six-Arms conversed. He couldn't make out what they were saying.  
"What are they going to... do to us?" Artemis wondered out loud.  
"Wheelie knows," Silica said, stroking her son on his head, as he snuffled in his sleep, wavering on the  
boundary of wakefulness, relaxing him, allowing him to drift back into his slumber. "Whatever's in that pit.  
We'll be joining it soon enough."  
"How...?"  
"Look around," Silica said. "Do you see Powerpack anywhere?"  
Artemis blenched.  
"Eaten," Silica informed him. "Wheelie says. He hung on long enough to tell me once I woke up." She  
stroked Wheelie's head again. "He's exhausted."  
Artemis collapsed to the ground, and buried his face in his hands. "What have I done...?" he breathed, as  
tears flowed from his optics.  
Silica said nothing. She merely took Artemis into her embrace, and held him, tightly. She shut off her optics  
and leant on his shoulder, joining him with quiet tears, until the welcome embrace of sleep overtook them  
both. Silica's last thought before surrendering to the temporary hold of oblivion was the hope that she would  
not wake up alone... if she even woke up at all.  
  
- - -  
  
C'mon, what'd ya think, what'd ya think? R&R!! :) 


End file.
